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It’s that kind of movie

A friend sent this email -- her review of An Inconvenient Truth -- at 1:18 AM last night.

Getting accurate information: Public or private responsibility?

An interesting debate was touched on in this thread, so I thought I'd elevate it so we can discuss it directly. Atreyger says this:

Imagine people who don't understand the [climate] science at all ... what happens is that you have a lot of hand-waving from both sides, with polarization of the pro- and con- groups who don't know what's going on and are just listening to others ...

I guess my point is that if all of us would have a better education in science and math, then this problem would be reduced.

This is a common sentiment, and there's certainly an element of truth in it: If the citizenry were better educated in basic scientific method, statistics, and logic, climate contrarianism would have a rougher time of it.

But, as Kaela put it:

‘Eco-terrorism’: This will go on your permanent record

Well this is comforting:

AUGUSTA, Maine -- State police have asked about a dozen environmental activists in Maine to provide samples of their DNA as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, police said.

Update [2006-6-8 16:28:18 by David Roberts]: See also this very good story in the L.A. Times.

Virtual fish

Seeing how it is World Ocean Day (and being the geek that I am), I'd like to follow up my virtual ecology post with this: virtual schools of fish.

While real-world fish need to worry about climate change, toxic runoff, and what have you, virtual fish run the risk of "swimming off world." (Would that be like the dolphins in A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?)

Quick, ditch your car

June 8 alert! Besides being World Ocean Day, it's also National Dump the Pump day, when we're all supposed to ditch our cars and take public transit.

Perhaps I've been blind to the vast PR machine of the American Public Transportation Association, but I wish this had gotten a little more press. They've even got fun stats on their site, like the fact that getting rid of a car and using public transit can save you up to $11,000 a year. Sure beats a $100 rebate.

I'll be celebrating by taking the bus home! Which is unrelated to the fact that that's how I always get home! Anyone else?

How to celebrate World Ocean Day

Today is a great opportunity to celebrate the oceans and the wildlife that depend on them for survival. So blow out some candles ... no, wait, dye some eggs... er, scratch that. Ask for candy. Actually, all the good gimmicks are taken. Just send an e-card and show a little love for the oceans.

Celebrate the oceans by learning what you can do to help protect them

Ahoy mateys! 'Tis time to splice the mainbrace -- that's pirate talk for gettin' sloshed! -- it's World Ocean Day. Yo-ho-hmmm, you ask? Well, glad ye did. This day is dedicated to celebrating the briny deep and making sure she's protected so we can sail ho! Cause without a healthy ocean, there'll be no poop deck or pillaging, no planks to walk nor timbers to shiver ... and worst of all, me hearties, we'll be no different than ye average Joe Landlubber. Arrr ... That'd be a fate worse than ... well, let's just say I'd trade me good eye and me good leg never to think about that again.

On to celebratin' I say. And what better way than to hop aboard the Ocean Voyager, "a five-part journey to defend our oceans" led by Cap'n Mother Jones, which has been focusing a good bit of editorial time on ocean issues these days. The idea is to sign up to receive an email once a week for five weeks -- and each email includes premium content from the magazine about the state of our ocean and ways you can help defend it. As me fellow blogmate (and Oceana CEO) Andrew Sharpless mentioned, the project focuses not on the work of just one organization, but rather points to the efforts of a number of organizations. And each week's episode (or destination on the voyage route, if we're using the official metaphor) also focuses on a different marine issue.

Bring on the bulldogs

Today we bring you Auden Schendler's thoughts on the state of green building -- and, below, his suggestions for making things a whole lot better.

Ultimately, we need to find a way to make green building more accessible. I once had a construction manager ask me, "What's the process we go through to make a green building?" I should have been able to hand him a one-pager, but I didn't have one. Each project manager needs to be able to articulate the process clearly and quickly.

Here's how it should work, from an owner's perspective:

1. Hire a talented architect, engineer, and contractor who are all committed to the cause. They don't have to be green. But they do have to understand that they work for you, and you are paying them to build a green building within budget.
2. Provide a road map that describes the process and goals for building green.
3. Make sure there is a project champion, preferably a bulldog, to hound people. Stay vigilant throughout the whole process.
4. When the project is finished, share your successes, but also share the inevitable pitfalls with others -- at conferences and through other outlets.
5. Make your next building even better.

But how do you get to that point?

Why is green building still so hard?

Recently, Colorado Company magazine highlighted a developer who believes in nothing but “green” building. It was a wonderful article, but it gets at an underlying question: why is this still a story? The idea of green building has not spread like wildfire. The mass-market building sector is oblivious. Most of the structures in trade magazines […]

Democrats jockey for attention with their latest energy plans

As GOP leaders bluster about gay marriage, flag burning, and the “death tax,” Democrats are struggling to get a word in edgewise about the bevy of proposals they’ve been drafting to address more substantive national concerns — namely, soaring gas prices, dependence on oil from an increasingly volatile Middle East, and global warming. These are […]